Lyford+RomeLBF

The prospect of parsing the results appeared somewhat daunting at first look, especially the many individual text responses. At first I browsed the results online, but then downloaded the entire data set in csv format. The surveymonkey.com tools were very useful in preliminary analysis.
 * Executive Summary**

The survey pool appears to be skewed slightly towards female graduate students, which is not a representative of the general population. What effect this may have on predicting general trends is unclear since college educated older professionals may have different definitions of "fun" than other demographics. Similarly, I found myself unable to relate to some of the responses since what I consider boring is often more linked to content that to form or presentation. It was helpful to see common elements that clearly engaged a majority of others, especially those that might not appeal to my particular learning style. This exercise has been instructive to me and serves as a gentle reminder that while following one's instincts may be good, having solid data to back them up is even better.

From the general responses, many surveyed said that the boring event happened in a formalized setting, such as a classroom or a corporate training event. The most obvious trend was from the multiple choice questions about what was expected of the learner during the experience, or rather what was NOT expected. While almost 92% of respondents said they were expected to listen, less than 10% reported that they were expected to interact with other learners. The other responses point to a similar expectation of passivity - the learner was a "passenger" in the experience.
 * What Makes Learning Boring?**

Comments also mentioned additional factors regarding the content of the experience; such as the **level being below one's skill level** //("...the level of instruction was too low for me...//" Q5a-12), **applicability to one's situation** ("//I did not need this training - it was mandatory.//" Q5a-207), **repetition** ("//...I had to read all the material which was repetitive and poorly written.//" Q5a-165)  and **futility** ("//...the rest was filler!//" Q5a-1). Stylistically, the level of **engagement of the instructor** was a factor ("//The teacher was monotone, not very engaging.//" Q5a-111) as well as the particulars of **the setting** ("//It was held after lunch. The conference room was warm and put many of us to sleep//." Q5a-15) and the **preparedness** of the experience ("//...the presentation was not prepared, it looks improvised.//" Q5a-54). It would appear that the juxtaposition of a formalized and uncomfortable setting, a poorly planned event and unenthusiastic leader made for a boring experience.

The first thing I noticed was than the fun experiences shared many of the same expectations as the boring ones. For example, Listening was expected in almost 88% of the responses for a fun episode, compared to almost 92% of those for a boring one. What was most striking was the addition of other expectations of the learner. Every category was expected except "Sit Still." The boring responses showed only 4 of the 11 categories were "Definitely Expected" of the learner. This tells me that the breadth of the experience is related to its ability to engage a learner. The addition of active modes of learning, such as interacting with peers, an artifact or the instructor was a very large part of the responses.
 * What Makes Learning Fun?**

Comments mentioned many of these factors, including **interaction** ("//The interactive nature of the class made it easier to internalize the information and actually understand the processes, not just mere memorization.//" Q5b-63), **variety** ("//The training was fun because of the variety of ways it was handled.//" Q5b-149) and **comfort and scale** of the environment ("//The class was small, took place at a large round table, and the environment was very relaxed//." Q5b-225 "//The class setting was extremely intimate and engaging.//" Q5b-167), as well as the enthusiasm and passion of the presenter ("//The instructor was unintrusive, enthusiastic, happy and living the event fully at the same time..//" Q5b-53) and the **appropriate level** of the content ("//...our teacher always questioned our reasoning and challenged us//." Q5b-22) and its **relevance** ("//I always paid attention to the lessons, because I knew that I would have to apply them later on//." Q5b-220).

Those wishing to leave their target audience educated and not asleep would do well to pay attention to the following principles:
 * Implications**

1. Experiences that engage the learner on multiple levels and in multiple ways are more fun. 2. Learners respond well to lessons that are leveled appropriately, yet still present challenges. 3. It bears repeating that variety is a good thing. 4. Physical environment plays a large part in the learner's experience. 5. Interaction is better than passivity.

On a final note, I found it ironic that a survey on boredom required "sitting still" and typing responses into text boxes! But this just reflects the fact that some content and media are not appropriate candidates for a fun format.